Love for Life

A Typical Earthbag Home

Green Home.com
Green Home.com

Green Home - Building Today for Tomorrow

Welcome to greenhomebuilding.com where you can find a wide range of information about sustainable architecture and natural building. As an example of natural building, the image at the upper left was taken during the construction of the earthbag house that has served as the home for greenhomebuilding.com and Kelly and Rosana Hart, your hosts.

The reason for building greener homes is really quite important. We need to live more lightly on the earth, because the degradation of our environment is compromising not only our survival, but the survival of most other living beings on the planet. We can no longer ignore the impact we have on the earth's ecosystems. The way we live, the choices we make in providing for our needs, will have an enormous influence on the quality of life of those who will follow us. Now is the time to take responsibility for the consequences of our life styles!

How we build our homes, both in design and choice of materials, is one of the most significant ways that we can affect our future. Much of the concern boils down to the use of energy. How much energy is embodied in the building materials themselves, in their transportation and assembling? Then once the house is built, how much energy does it consume to keep its inhabitants comfortable?

Consumption of energy has a direct influence on environmental quality, because of the inherent pollution through greenhouse gasses and other emissions. Then there is the loss of natural beauty, ecosystems and basic resources associated with the extraction of fossil fuels and building materials. The combined effect of this is staggering. Resources for studying how we interact with our environment and ways to improve this relationship can be found within the page about the Environment.

There are some very simple ways to design houses that require very little energy to keep them comfortable. The list of links on the left, under Sustainable Architecture, outline thirteen points to keep in mind when designing a sustainable house. Using natural, non-industrial materials, as outlined in the links to the right under Natural building will improve the energy equation when building. Examining the Vernacular Architecture of other cultures can provide many ideas for beauty, energy efficiency and appropriate use of materials. An extensive gallery of Posters and Art Prints depicting architecture from around the world can help evaluate various styles and decorate you own walls. "Greenhomebuilding.com provides a way to communicate with, and learn from, a variety of experts in the many fields associated with the site. In the Ask the Experts section you are invited to ask questions and read the responses to others' questions. More in-depth consulting is also available. Education and Events will direct you to educational opportunities and listings of workshops and other news. There is a Bulletin Board where diverse notices have been posted about special opportunities. Sections about Building Codes, Financial Aspects and a Store and Posters where pertinent media can be purchased, round out this site. Most pages also have links to other informative websites that are pertinent.

There is much valuable information out there, but it is hard to find it all in one place. You now have available at your fingertips a wealth of information. Enjoy!

Visit Dream Green Homes http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com to see a wide range of ecological home plans for sale. This is a companion website to greenhomebuilding.com, hosted by Kelly Hart.

There are hundreds of books and other media available, mostly through links to Amazon.com, on the pages of this website. Many of the books, videos, DVDs and other products listed have direct links to purchase them; these sales provide a small commission that helps support greenhomebuilding.com. While many people enjoy shopping from this source, there are those who would prefer to buy from smaller companies that do not represent "Corporate America." In deference to these folks, and in the interests of providing the greatest number of options for finding information, I have established a relationship with 100fires.com bookstore http://www.100fires.com/cgi-bin/home.cgi?cart=ghb - They have a wonderful selection of books and media on topics related to Green Home Building, and you can go there directly from this link:

Earthbag Construction

Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have long been used, particularly by the military for creating strong, protective barriers, or for flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to creating housing: the walls are massive and substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather (or even bullets and bombs), and they can be erected simply and quickly with readily available components. Burlap bags were traditionally used for this purpose, and they work fine until they eventually rot. Newer polypropylene bags have superior strength and durability, as long as they are kept away from too much sunlight. For permanent housing the bags should be covered with some kind of plaster for protection.

There has been a resurgence of interest in earthbag building since architect Nader Khalili, of the Cal-Earth Institute, began experimenting with bags of adobe soil as building blocks for creating domes, vaults and arches. Khalili was familiar with Middle Eastern architecture and the use of adobe bricks in building these forms, so it was natural for him to imagine building in this way. The Cal-Earth Institute has been training people with his particular techniques, and now the whole field has expanded considerably with further experimentation by his students and others.

I have taken Khalili's ideas of building with earthbags that are laid in courses with barbed wire between them, and come up with some hybrid concepts that have proven to make viable housing. Instead of filling the bags with adobe soil, I have used crushed volcanic rock. This creates a very well insulated wall (about as good as strawbale) that will never rot or be damaged by moisture. As a covering for the earthbags I used papercrete (see the papercrete page). This seems to be a very good solution to the need to seal the bags from the sun and the weather, without necessarily creating a vapor barrier...the walls remain breathable. Papercrete may not be a good choice in warm and humid climates, because mold could form on it. Also, I expect the papercrete finish to be fairly maintenance free, unlike an adobe finish that would require regular maintenance.

Build A Home.............

Natural Building

Adobe

Cob

Rammed Earth

Poured Earth

Earthbag

Strawbale

Cordwood

Timber Frame

Bamboo

Earthship

Papercrete

Lightweight Concrete

Stone

Hybrids

Manufactured Systems

-----------------------------------------

Sustainable Architecture

Think Small

Heat with the Sun

Keep your Cool

Use Renewable Energy

Conserve Water

Use Local Materials

Use Natural Materials

Save our Forests

Recycle Materials

Build to Last

Grow your Food

Store your Food

Share Facilities

----------------------------------

Index

Blog

Sustainable Architecture

Events

Financial Aspects

Owner/builder

About Us

Vernacular Architecture

Education

Store and Posters

Building Codes

Ask the Experts

Natural Building

Bulletin Board

Environment

Building Components

--------------------------------------

Link to website: "http://www.greenhomebuilding.com" height="324" alt="A Typical Earthbag Home" hspace="8" vspace="15" width="505" align="center" />
A Typical Earthbag Home

Green Home - Building Today for Tomorrow

Welcome to greenhomebuilding.com where you can find a wide range of information about sustainable architecture and natural building. As an example of natural building, the image at the upper left was taken during the construction of the earthbag house that has served as the home for greenhomebuilding.com and Kelly and Rosana Hart, your hosts.

The reason for building greener homes is really quite important. We need to live more lightly on the earth, because the degradation of our environment is compromising not only our survival, but the survival of most other living beings on the planet. We can no longer ignore the impact we have on the earth's ecosystems. The way we live, the choices we make in providing for our needs, will have an enormous influence on the quality of life of those who will follow us. Now is the time to take responsibility for the consequences of our life styles!

How we build our homes, both in design and choice of materials, is one of the most significant ways that we can affect our future. Much of the concern boils down to the use of energy. How much energy is embodied in the building materials themselves, in their transportation and assembling? Then once the house is built, how much energy does it consume to keep its inhabitants comfortable?

Consumption of energy has a direct influence on environmental quality, because of the inherent pollution through greenhouse gasses and other emissions. Then there is the loss of natural beauty, ecosystems and basic resources associated with the extraction of fossil fuels and building materials. The combined effect of this is staggering. Resources for studying how we interact with our environment and ways to improve this relationship can be found within the page about the Environment.

There are some very simple ways to design houses that require very little energy to keep them comfortable. The list of links on the left, under Sustainable Architecture, outline thirteen points to keep in mind when designing a sustainable house. Using natural, non-industrial materials, as outlined in the links to the right under Natural building will improve the energy equation when building. Examining the Vernacular Architecture of other cultures can provide many ideas for beauty, energy efficiency and appropriate use of materials. An extensive gallery of Posters and Art Prints depicting architecture from around the world can help evaluate various styles and decorate you own walls. "Greenhomebuilding.com provides a way to communicate with, and learn from, a variety of experts in the many fields associated with the site. In the Ask the Experts section you are invited to ask questions and read the responses to others' questions. More in-depth consulting is also available. Education and Events will direct you to educational opportunities and listings of workshops and other news. There is a Bulletin Board where diverse notices have been posted about special opportunities. Sections about Building Codes, Financial Aspects and a Store and Posters where pertinent media can be purchased, round out this site. Most pages also have links to other informative websites that are pertinent.

There is much valuable information out there, but it is hard to find it all in one place. You now have available at your fingertips a wealth of information. Enjoy!

Visit Dream Green Homes http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com to see a wide range of ecological home plans for sale. This is a companion website to greenhomebuilding.com, hosted by Kelly Hart.

There are hundreds of books and other media available, mostly through links to Amazon.com, on the pages of this website. Many of the books, videos, DVDs and other products listed have direct links to purchase them; these sales provide a small commission that helps support greenhomebuilding.com. While many people enjoy shopping from this source, there are those who would prefer to buy from smaller companies that do not represent "Corporate America." In deference to these folks, and in the interests of providing the greatest number of options for finding information, I have established a relationship with 100fires.com bookstore http://www.100fires.com/cgi-bin/home.cgi?cart=ghb - They have a wonderful selection of books and media on topics related to Green Home Building, and you can go there directly from this link:

Earthbag Construction

Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have long been used, particularly by the military for creating strong, protective barriers, or for flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to creating housing: the walls are massive and substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather (or even bullets and bombs), and they can be erected simply and quickly with readily available components. Burlap bags were traditionally used for this purpose, and they work fine until they eventually rot. Newer polypropylene bags have superior strength and durability, as long as they are kept away from too much sunlight. For permanent housing the bags should be covered with some kind of plaster for protection.

There has been a resurgence of interest in earthbag building since architect Nader Khalili, of the Cal-Earth Institute, began experimenting with bags of adobe soil as building blocks for creating domes, vaults and arches. Khalili was familiar with Middle Eastern architecture and the use of adobe bricks in building these forms, so it was natural for him to imagine building in this way. The Cal-Earth Institute has been training people with his particular techniques, and now the whole field has expanded considerably with further experimentation by his students and others.

I have taken Khalili's ideas of building with earthbags that are laid in courses with barbed wire between them, and come up with some hybrid concepts that have proven to make viable housing. Instead of filling the bags with adobe soil, I have used crushed volcanic rock. This creates a very well insulated wall (about as good as strawbale) that will never rot or be damaged by moisture. As a covering for the earthbags I used papercrete (see the papercrete page). This seems to be a very good solution to the need to seal the bags from the sun and the weather, without necessarily creating a vapor barrier...the walls remain breathable. Papercrete may not be a good choice in warm and humid climates, because mold could form on it. Also, I expect the papercrete finish to be fairly maintenance free, unlike an adobe finish that would require regular maintenance.

Build A Home.............

Natural Building

Adobe

Cob

Rammed Earth

Poured Earth

Earthbag

Strawbale

Cordwood

Timber Frame

Bamboo

Earthship

Papercrete

Lightweight Concrete

Stone

Hybrids

Manufactured Systems

-----------------------------------------

Sustainable Architecture

Think Small

Heat with the Sun

Keep your Cool

Use Renewable Energy

Conserve Water

Use Local Materials

Use Natural Materials

Save our Forests

Recycle Materials

Build to Last

Grow your Food

Store your Food

Share Facilities

----------------------------------

Index

Blog

Sustainable Architecture

Events

Financial Aspects

Owner/builder

About Us

Vernacular Architecture

Education

Store and Posters

Building Codes

Ask the Experts

Natural Building

Bulletin Board

Environment

Building Components

--------------------------------------

Link to website: http://www.greenhomebuilding.com

Attachment	Size
EarthBag Home 6kpapercretingmc.jpg	11.5 KB